A few weeks ago, I made a panda drawing for Haiku Day. It was a lot of fun, and soon enough I started making more of them. I wouldn’t say I’m that great at writing prose, but it’s been a fun little challenge having to write in addition to drawing. I’ll be posting the rest of these haikus in individual posts and will post them to their own page here. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the Haiku Pandas.
I’ve been enjoying the recent tribute shows that I’ve been a part of, and this next show is a special one. I had the pleasure of working on a piece for the City of Irvine’s art exhibit called, “Walt and the Flying Bull.” It’s an art exhibit that pays tribute to an insignia designed by Walt Disney for the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine, California.
For my submission, I decided to go with an arial shot of the bull in mid-flight. When I was looking for photos of the air station, I came across a lot of photos of old war planes flying over farmland and was inspired to make a simple bull design behind a more graphic background. The main idea was having the farmland and the mountain ridges look like tiles. This piece was an interesting challenge in that it was the largest watercolor piece I’ve made to date. I’ve worked on larger ink pieces before, but having to work on a piece this large required some planning.
In the progress shots below, you’ll notice that I started painting all over the paper instead of starting in one spot. This was to help keep the colors consistent throughout the piece since the watercolors could change as the paints dried out over time. I even recorded a timelapse video which I will include in a new post.
Anyways, if you’re in Orange County, please check out the exhibit! It’s being displayed at the Orange County Great Park Gallery. You can find more details of the exhibit here.
Recently, I completed a series of pieces in anticipation for… let’s just say a “new arrival.”
I expanded on my original “Baby Me” piece a couple of years ago after receiving some suggestions for a girl version. Each of the boy pieces takes a little inspiration from my childhood while the girl pieces reflects a little about my wife. I re-painted the Toilet Boy and updated it with more design elements which I ended up carrying over to other drawings.
I’ve also added these pieces to my shop as prints and have added them to my Redbubble page under a new collection. I’ve also added them all as prints on my shop. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these as much as I had drawing them.
Another piece for Gallery 1988! On May 5, there is an opening show next week for a tribute show based on works by Stephen King next week from 7-9pm. My piece, titled “There He Is!” is based off of the 1986 movie Stand By Me when the boys finally reach their goal. It will be up on display from May 5th to the 27th. I used hot-press Arches watercolor paper and sumi ink for this piece. I will also have the first 10 prints I made of the print available for sale on Gallery 1988’s website. If you’re able to make the show, please snap a photo for me!
I’m going to be cohosting an art workshop event on May 4 in celebration of Star Wars Day! Click on this post to read more details.Read More »St(art) Wars, May 4 Workshop
I recently submitted a piece for Gallery 1988’s Memes show. It’s based off of the Success Kid meme and even includes a cameo by you-know-who. The show will be next Friday, April 14 at their West location on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. If you happen to attend the show, snap a photo and send it to me!
I’m happy to announce some recent work that I completed for a small-time client. Actually, they’re not that little, but their mascot’s is supposed to be, sort of…
I just received my copies of Disney’s Princess comics, and whaddyaknow! My name’s in them! Both issues are spotlight editions featuring comics for Rapunzel and Belle. My main contributions have been rough layouts and inks. Fortunately, my messy drawings are cleaned up and colored by the talented Brianna Garcia and Mitch Leeuwe. Go check out their work when you get a chance. Below are a couple of strips that feature my layouts.
Below is an Instagram post by comics artist extraordinaire Amy Mebberson who worked on the previous 8 issues including these spotlights editions.
Thanks to Joe Books for reaching out to me for this project. There are more strips to come, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled at your local comics shop for future issues!
Earlier in the summer, I was introduced to Samezu, a comic by Moha Arimura featuring cute sharks devouring a lovable seal. I know that sounds weird, but trust me, the book is fantastic! I found the comic over at Kinokuniya in Seattle; if you’re in the area, go check it out. And while you’re at it, be on the look out for any Punching Pandas!
I also made another character to the panda world. Introducing Handy the red panda. His name will make sense eventually. For now, he’s the panda’s snacking buddy.
The theme song has been stuck in my head for the last week. Hopefully, I can paint it out.
